I heard about the We Are The World Blogfest a while back, but I was unsure of how I would actually be a part of it. #WATWB is a blog hop that encourages bloggers to share good news.
The problem? Most of the news I see these days is bad news.
I was hesitant, but I had a free hour, so I figured I would give it a shot. A quick Google search for “good news” later, I had my topic: Melanites Action Pals!
What Are Melanites Action Pals?
Melanites Action Pals are boy dolls with brown skin created to “celebrate brown boyhood”. There are four character types represented in the Melanites line: Thinker, Doer, Maker, and Performer.
Why Brown Boyhood?
Creator Jennifer Pierre saw a problem with the way toys are created for and marketed to children today.
She believes that strict gender roles – evident in the “pink” aisle for girls and “blue” aisle for boys – pigeonholes children and limits their imagination, and when you add race into the equation, it further fuels a divide in our society.
From the Melanites website:
“Studies have shown that kids gravitate towards toys that reflect them and with our society’s very prominent diverse demographics, its no wonder that there is a need for a makeover in the aisles. There are more multicultural children being born under the age of 5 and that is shifting them from the ‘minority’ to the majority of children.”
How to Support Melanites
While the fundraising for their prototype creation is over, you can always head over to the Melanites website to pre-order the first available doll, Jaylen, a storybook that features him (Jaylen & the High Five Machine), a poster of any of the four Melanites, or a Brown Boy Brilliance t-shirt.
Related Causes
If you want to go further in supporting brown and black boys and girls in the world, check out some of these charities:
Click here to view this Linky Tools list for the We Are The World Blogfest!
I love seeing all these toys that give more freedom of choice to kids. Thanks for sharing!
It’s great, right? I can’t wait to see more of these kinds of toys in the toy aisles.
This is a fantastic initiative! Thanks ofr sharing the story with us, Adan, and your support to WATWB!
Glad to be a part of something that is bringing a little more light to the world!
What a great idea. Thanks for sharing and joining us Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB
I’m glad to be a part of something great!